[PCA] Roadside refugia of Utah, 273 more miles of the 1997 Megatransect

[Craig Dremann]

Dear Lew and All,

Thanks for your email.  

You wrote, 

"Now, how to design a national policy/program to deal with this?  Or is
it on a state by state basis?  IN has received $350,000 to plant native
grasses on their interstate highway, reducing cost and creating habitat.
Lew" 

==========================

One possible answer to your question---Federal funds for every State
DOT, whenever the Federal Transportation bill is renewed, to start
Iowa-type Native Roadside Vegetation "Ecotype Projects" in each of the
50 States. 
See http://www.uni.edu/ecotype/

Funds are needed to do at least four things:

1.) Map the remaining roadside native understory vegetation, 2.) Do
genetic studies, to develop seed-transfer zones of the native roadside
species within a State.
3.) Get local native "ecotype" seeds hand-harvested, and then
commercially reproduced in bulk.

And probably most importantly... 

4.) Invent methods and equipment to get the native grasses/native plants
successfully, rapidly and permanently established in a 99+% weed-free
condition.

REGARDING THE MEGATRANSECT: I compiled the UTAH data of my 3,400
roadside vegetation Megatransect this afternoon (Hwy 21 to I-15 to I-70
to Colo. border, 8-24-97):

273 total miles through Utah ---

186 miles, no native grasses seen: (68%)
--Ag fields = 41 (15%)
--Canyons = 6 (2%)
--Crested wheat sown within R/W = 27 (10%)
--Cheatgrass present= 12 (4%)
--Desert, no vegetation either native or weeds = 6 (2%)
--Junipers, weed-free and native grass-free = 36 (13%)

87 miles with native grasses: (32%)
--Natives thin, infested with cheatgrass = 10 (3.6%)
--Oryzopsis pristine = 10 (3.6%)
--Oryzopsis thin or only in R/W = 37 (13.5%)
--Stipa comata thin = 5 (1.8%)
--Stipa pristine = 8 (2.9%)

So out of 273 miles, 18 miles are pristine, or about 6.5% of the total
Utah Megatransect section, which is a higher percentage than Nevada's
Megatransect (2.8%).  

Utah in 1997 had a lower percentage of Cheatgrass compared to Nevada (4%
vs.8.3%); but nearly double the Crested Wheatgrass sown by the DOT in
the R/W (10% Utah vs 5.8% NV).

The Utah stretch of the Megatransect, shows how cheatgrass was only able
to get established where the native grasses are completely absent, or
whenever the native grass cover was too thin, where there are empty
spaces in the ecosystem for the weeds to get established.  

I call the cheatgrass a "default-weed", because it is there by default,
only getting established when there has been damage to the native
ecosystem's perennial grass cover.   

Fortunately, if properly replanted, the local perennial native grass
species easily crowd out the cheatgrass, as you can see in the pictures
at http://www.ecoseeds.com/greatbasin.html --there's not a cheatgrass
plant to be seen.

In science, that effect is called "allelopathy." (See the Journal of
Chemical Ecology, for example, especially Dr. Liu's pioneering barley
studies in 1994 and 1995). 

I personally know, after 35 years of Ecological Restoration studies,
that allelopathy is an unopened treasure-trove--one of the most
important future tools, that could help us convert millions of weedy
acres back to solid local natives, including tens of thousands of miles
of weed-infested roadsides--if there is a desire to do so.

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333